Afraid
by MaxRideLuver02
Summary: So this is the scene with Stef and Callie after helping Kiara. I loved how the show did it, I really did, but I couldn't help but write my own version. Parts of it, some of the dialogue at least, is the same as it is in the show, with my own thoughts added. Callie/Stef/Lena POVs.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, so I've never done a Foster's Fanfic before, but I had this idea, and couldn't get it out of my head, and my roommate encouraged me to just do it and see what happens.** **So this is the scene with Stef and Callie after helping Kiara. I loved how the show did it, I really did, but I couldn't help but write my own version. Parts of it, some of the dialogue at least, is the same as it is in the show, with my own thoughts added. Hope you like it!**

 **Stef's POV:**

As Kiara walked to the car with Rita's arms wrapped around her, I turned to see my beautiful, strong daughter close to tears herself. I knew how scared she was for her friend when she found out she was on the run, selling herself just to make ends meet. For a long time, really since she told us she wanted to live with Robert, something has been off about Callie, but I couldn't figure out what it was. I just can't understand-I thought getting adopted and living with us was what she wanted…

Callie turned away from the scene of her friend walking away, covering her mouth as if to hide the fact she was about to cry. Immediately, I followed her.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's ok. You did the right thing. I'm proud of you for calling me, love."

Almost before I could finish speaking, she turned around, almost angry, "Don't be proud of me!"

This shocked me. She did the absolute right thing- why wouldn't I be proud of her? She's made such strides, coming to Lena and I, rather than pushing us away and taking care of things herself. I need to find out what's going on with her- I can't take not knowing anymore.

"Ok, that's enough. What's going on with you? What's going on?"

Silently, she stood there, as if contemplating whether or not to say whatever it was. So, I decided to be a little more stern, not giving her a choice. "You need to talk to me. Now."

Finally she said, "I did something wrong, and I couldn't tell you."

"Ok, what? Why?" I said, confused and curious. I thought she knew now that she didn't have to hide anything from us.

"Because I was afraid," she said shakily, still trying to keep herself from crying. She was afraid? As confusing as this is to me, I find myself remembering Mariana when she and Jesus first came to us, and how scared she was of doing anything wrong, thinking we'd get mad at her. What if Callie, so much older than when Mariana first came to us, felt the same way?

"Afraid of what? That we'd be mad, afraid you'd be in trouble? What?" I asked, trying to keep myself calm and not upset the poor girl more.

"Both, I guess. I just…I was afraid because I lied again. And because I didn't come to you again and…because I messed up again." Now she's starting to cry, her voice getting thicker and her eyes filling with tears threatening to spill over. Taking a breath, she continued, saying "I thought that maybe that would mean that you…you wouldn't want me anymore. Like you would just finally give up on me."

 _What?_ I thought as I heard all of these words tumbling out of her mouth. This girl can just never catch a break, always thinking the worst will happen to her. I know I need to address this thought of hers, reassure her that that's never going to happen, but suddenly a thought registered in my head. Slowly, I asked, "Ok and is this why you're going to live with Robert?"

The tears finally started falling from her eyes, as she took another deep breath. "I just thought that if I left on my own, it wouldn't hurt as much as if you'd told me to go, but it does! It hurts so much!" As she finishes speaking she begins sobbing, closing her eyes as the tears fall down her cheeks.

"Ok, listen. Listen to me, look at me!" I said, trying to calm her down, needing to get this idea of her being unwanted out of her mind. I waited until she looked at me before I started speaking again. "Callie, there is nothing, absolutely _nothing_ , that you could do that would make us not want you. We love you, _so much_. No matter what you do, _you are my daughter_ and I'll always want you. "

"But-" she starts, but I cut her off.

"No buts! Nothing you do is going to make us not want you. You hear me?"

"Nothing?" she questions, tears still spilling down her face, her breaths fast as she tries to stop sobbing.

"Nothing, baby." I say as she beings crying again, putting her hands up to her face and sobbing once more. "Come here" I whisper, pulling her to me.

She buries her head in my shoulder and wraps her arms around me, gripping the back of my uniform in her fists, like she never wants me to let her go.

"It's ok, baby. You're ok. I'm right here. You're not going anywhere," I say, rubbing her back, holding her tightly. I know I need to know whatever it was that she did that made her so scared. I also need to figure out how to undo this whole moving in with Robert situation, but right now my main concern is holding my daughter while she cries, a sense of security she hasn't had since her mother died.

Finally, her breathing slows as she finally begins to calm herself down. She takes a deep breath, hugging me slightly tighter as she says, "I love you, Mom."

Tears nearly spring into my own eyes upon hearing her call me Mom for the first time. For so long, I've been hoping for her to get comfortable enough to call me that. The shock and relief of hearing those words makes me take a moment before I'm able to respond.

"I love you too, Callie. So, so much." I say as I give her one final squeeze before she pulls away.

"Now," I say, "let's go home and you, Lena and I will sit down and you can tell us what happened, ok?" I say turning towards the car. As I walk, I hear her speak again, and turn around to look at her once more.

"Actually, could I talk to Mama alone first? I kind of feel like she should hear what's been going on from just me first." She says, and I marvel at her courage and her kind heart.

"Of course," I tell her with a smile on my face when she referred to Lena as "mama".

As we drive home, I call my wife and ask her to meet us outside, and that Callie wanted to see her. Looking at my daughter, I saw that she was still a little teary-eyed, and going through that conversation again may very well result in tears once more, but I could also understand that she needed to talk about this with Lena too, to hear from both of us just how much we loved and wanted her.

 **So that's it for chapter 1! The next one will be this same scene, but from Callie's POV, because I wanted to show what I felt her thought process would be throughout this conversation. I hope you liked it, and I'll probably add chapter 2 sometime this weekend! Review please! Let me know what you think, because I'm CONSTANTLY second-guessing myself, unsure what I think, so I need opinions! Thanks!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter 2, the exact same scene as Chapter 1, but from Callie's POV! I just couldn't get this out of my mind, and HAD to do this. Enjoy!**

 **Callie's POV:**

I hated that I'd basically betrayed Kiara's trust by calling Stef and Rita, but I just couldn't let her go back there. Thankfully, she wasn't mad at me, but rather seemed happy that Rita was still being so kind and loving to her. As I watched them walk away, I felt like I was going to start to cry. Not wanting Stef to know, I quickly covered my mouth and started walking away, but of course, she followed me.

"Hey, hey, hey, it's ok. You did the right thing. I'm proud of you for calling me, love." She said, and that just didn't make sense. All I've done is screw up-she shouldn't be proud of me at all, so I decided to say just that.

"Don't be proud of me!" I said as I turned to face her.

He face looked surprised as she said, "Ok, that's enough. What's going on with you? What's going on?"

Thinking of a way to get out of telling her, I stayed silent. Of course, she wouldn't let that slide, and she added, "You need to talk to me. Now."

I wanted to avoid this conversation, to run. But then I thought about what Rita said on the day that Jude got adopted. _"When things get hard, you want to run. You've got to fight it…and wait for your luck to find you."_

Knowing that Rita was right, I finally decided to say, "I did something wrong, and I couldn't tell you."

"Ok, what? Why?" she asked

"Because I was afraid," I couldn't believe I was admitting this. It's just going to confirm what I already knew.

"Afraid of what? That we'd be mad, afraid you'd be in trouble? What?" she asked. It was like she was reading my mind.

"Both, I guess. I just…I was afraid because I lied again. And because I didn't come to you again and…because I messed up again." Suddenly it seemed like the words were just tumbling out of my mouth, and I couldn't stop them. "I thought that maybe that would mean that you…you wouldn't want me anymore. Like you would just finally give up on me." I took a deep breath, struggling not to cry, hoping she would just accept that, let it go, and we could leave here, but I saw in her face we weren't done yet.

"Ok and is this why you're going to live with Robert?" she asked, and I couldn't take it anymore. This was actually the question I've been avoiding for so long: the why. Why I wanted to leave, even when I didn't truly want to.

"I just thought that if I left on my own, it wouldn't hurt as much as if you'd told me to go, but it does! It hurts so much!" I couldn't hold it back anymore. I let go of my composure and started sobbing. I had to admit, though, that letting go actually made me feel a little better.

"Ok, listen. Listen to me, look at me!" I took a deep breath, trying to quiet myself so I could hear her. I had no idea what she'd say.

When I looked into her eyes again, she said, "Callie, there is nothing, absolutely _nothing_ , that you could do that would make us not want you. We love you, _so much_. No matter what you do, _you are my daughter_ and I'll always want you. "

She didn't even know what I did yet. Knowing what I did could easily change her mind about me, so I tried to argue, starting to say, "But-" and I didn't get any further before she interrupted me.

"No buts! Nothing you do is going to make us not want you. You hear me?"

I still couldn't believe it. I asked one more time, just to be sure. "Nothing?"

"Nothing, baby." And hearing that, and seeing the look of pure love and sincerity in her face, I believed her, and was unbelievably grateful. I covered my face in my hands and started crying once more.

"Come here", she whispered as she pulled me into her arms. I quickly wrapped my arms around her, gripping her uniform in my fists, and crying on her shoulder. As I cried, letting all my fear and sadness that I've felt since my mom died, she rubbed my back, muttering soft reassurances into my ear. And I realized again, just like I had when I talked to her when I lost mom's necklace, that this is something I needed. I need a mom, a family, and Stef and Lena were about as good as it would get.

When I finally calmed down, I took a deep breath and hugged her even tighter than before, needing to be as close to her as possible when I said, "I love you, Mom." It felt good to finally say it, finally made me feel like I really was her daughter.

I heard her gasp, and it took her a minute before she replied, saying, "I love you too, Callie. So, so much." And I smiled, finally home in my mom's arms.

When I finally let go, and pulled away to wipe my eyes, she said, "Now, let's go home and you, Lena and I will sit down and you can tell us what happened, ok?"

As great as that sounded, I knew there was something I needed to do by myself first. I needed to admit all of this to Mama too. After what I'd put them both through with this whole "moving in with Robert" thing, the least I could do is explain it to her myself, so I said, "Actually, could I talk to Mama alone first? I kind of feel like she should hear what's been going on from just me first."

She smiles at me, looking proud as she said, "Of course," and I followed her to the car.

When we pulled away from the curb, she called mama and asked her to meet me outside so that I could talk to her. I could still feel my tears on my face, but I knew this was something I needed to do. Not just for Lena, but for me too. I felt so much better after talking to mom, and I knew talking to mama could only make things even better. As we pulled into the driveway, I saw her sitting on the steps, waiting, and as soon as mom parked the car, I ran out of my seat and threw myself into my mama's outstretched arms, and, again, I felt like I was home.

 **Hope you enjoyed Chapter 2! Thanks for reading, and THANKS SO MUCH for all of your nice reviews. I NEVER expected to get so many reviews, follows and favorites about this story (or any at all for that matter!) Let me know what you think of Chapter 2! Chapter 3 will be the conversation between Lena and Callie, which I'm writing now. It'll be a similar conversation, just worded a little differently. I'll also write a chapter of Callie explaining to both Lena and Stef what happened at Christmas. After that, I'm not sure what/if I'll write next! Thanks again! Review! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey Guys, I'm back! I'm soooo sorry it took me so long to get this chapter out, but between finals, moving and a job search, I got a little busy and didn't have a lot of time to write. Plus, I wasn't entirely sure how I wanted this conversation to go. But I figured it out. I don't feel like it's my best work, and Lena and Callie may be out of character, but once I figured it out, I couldn't get the idea out of my head. Hope you like it!**

 **And, here it is...**

I was sitting on our front porch waiting for my wife and oldest daughter to get home. Stef had called me saying that Callie had something important to tell us both, but she first wanted to talk to me alone.

When the car pulled into the driveway I stood up, waiting. Once the car was stopped, I saw Callie open the door and start sprinting towards me. I could see that she'd been crying, a few silent tears still running down her cheeks, and it broke my heart. I opened my arms and she launched herself into my waiting embrace, hugging me tight.

As I held this sweet girl in my arms, I heard Stef tell me she'd be waiting inside. I wondered what Callie had to tell me. Slowly, gently, I pulled away from the hug to look her in the eyes.

"Callie?" I began. "What is it, my love?"

She sighed before saying, "I just- I wanted to tell you that I never really wanted to go live with Robert. I only said that, because I was afraid."

I was confused. "You were afraid? Honey, what were you afraid of?"

"It's stupid. I did something wrong, but I didn't come to you guys because I was afraid that what I did would make you decide that you didn't want me anymore. That you and Stef would finally just give up on me like all the other homes I've been in." Callie said, not looking at me as she spoke.

"Callie. Look at me." I said, placing my hands on her shoulders and leaning down just enough so my eyes were level with hers. When she looked directly in my eyes, I spoke again.

"I promise you, right now, that that will never, _never_ happen. Your adoption may be taking longer because of the Robert of it all, but that doesn't mean you are not a part of this family. _You are my daughter_. No matter what. And nothing will change that."

"Are you sure?" she asked softly.

"When Stef got shot, Marianna thought that we wouldn't want her and Jesus anymore because of that whole incident with Ana. I'm now going to tell you what I told her: we chose you, and you chose us. DNA doesn't make a family. Love does. _We love you._ That is never going to change."

She smiled as I spoke, but didn't say anything.

I sighed, as I said, "I know that it must have been impossibly hard to lose your Mom so young. And I can't imagine all the pain you went through in all your other foster homes, taking care of Jude all those years. And, let me tell you that you did an _amazing_ job. That little boy is amazing, and loves you so much. I know that you have had a hard time trusting people after what happened with Liam, and I am so so sorry that he did that to you. That he made you feel unsafe and so unloved. But do you know one of the biggest things I love about you?"

She shook her head. "What?" She asked.

"You and Stef are a lot alike. You love hard, and do everything in your power to protect the ones you love. For example, you protected Jude all those years, and you protected Mariana by not drinking at that party and getting her home safely. But, as much as I love that about you, I want to make sure you know that you don't always have to be "the protector" anymore. You can trust us. I know you've been working on that, and you've been doing a great job. You're safe here, and we're never letting you go. Do you believe that?"

She had a few tears running down her cheeks at this point, and I nearly choked up saying it, but she smiled the biggest smile I'd ever seen from her before she hugged me again, saying, "Yeah, I really do, Mama."

I gasped a little as she said "mama", hugging her tight. A few tears escaped my eyes at that one little word.

It took me a minute to calm myself, so that I wouldn't start outright sobbing on the front lawn, holding my daughter. After a minute, I slowly disentangled myself from her again.

"Ok, now, let's go inside and talk with Stef, huh?"

She nodded again, sighing once more, "Yeah. It's time for you and Mom to know the truth. No more lies."

I smiled. "Sounds good to me."

 **Hope you liked it! I'm going to try to add on last chapter to this story, in Callie's POV maybe, telling her Moms what happened at Christmas with Daphne, Tasha and Brandon. If I can figure out how to word it. IF I can't, then this will be the last chapter, and I will post an AN to let you know so you're not just sitting and waiting. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you did, PLEASE review. I know I've said it before, but I'm self-conscious about posting what I write and I would love some positive feedback! Thanks guys! Happy Summer!**


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